Western Kansas world., 1887-12-10

glrl-S6ralgnG ana StfOng 8nQ Qe8lCny,
an as bold as lion. She prided her
self on bein' able to bend over wash
tub longer than any other girl in the
settlement. An she could stand on
the ground and Jump into the saddle on
sixteen-hand horse without putin her
hands up. Them was the days. You
know, when young women prided
| themselves more on their physical
strength than on their mental accom-
plishments.
"Well, I had been goin' to see Miss
Lucinda an was never able to spark
her, an I was gettin' ashamed of myself,
an wonderin' how I was ever goin' to
get courage enough, when one day I
was down to the Salem mill with grist
an one of these fellers come along who
precedes circus-an advertising man,
you know. He put up some gaudy
bills, all yellow, an red, an blue,
tellin' of the circus that was comm.
There wasn't any telegraph in them
days, but when I see them bills l
had telegram right in my bosom hyar.
It said: Bill, here's your chance to
spark Miss Lucinda if you can just git
one OF them bills.
$50, when the feller left the mil! l
got one of his bills-a great. big thing
it was. showin' men and women ridin'
on four horses an jumpIn' through
hoops. I folded it all up an put it In
side my huntin' shirt. It looked like l
had a piller in thar. I took it home
an turned my mothers big iron kettle
over it to hide it, with as much care,
I tell you, as I'd hide pile Of money
now. I made up my mind I'd just go
over an spark Miss Lucinda that night.
$50, after supper, over went, with
this big bunch under the bosom of my
shirt, to spark Miss Lucinda. The old
folks went to bed early as usual, an
Miss Lucinda unlaced her pigskin shoes
an looked at me with her big, bright
eyes, an I begun to smother up agin.
But made big effort, an jumped up
off my chair, an walked over to her,
an said: Miss Lucinda, I've got some
thin under the bosom of my shirt for
YOU An I got q chair up beside her,
an got out this big bill, an we looked
at it, an asked her to go to the circus
with me, an she said she would, an 1
got over feelin' scared, and got her on
my knees, an kissed her, an spanked
her thar jist as we'll as anybody could
till l o'clock in the mornin'.
"Well, the day of the circus come,
an Miss Lucinda an went to Salem.
We walked. It was five miles, but we
didn't care anything about that. Miss
Lucinda was dressed in nice calico
dress that must have cost So, an she
had the sleeves pinned up at the
shoulders with big brass pins. 1 was
all dressed up in clothes I got at st.
Louis, an we looked fine, want to tell
you. That circus was the biggest fraud
that ever struck Illinois. The tent
wouldn't hold more than a hundred
people. They'd advertised menage-
rie, but all the animals they had was
an old she elephant, with calf ele-
phant, Ireckon about four months old
little feller, with snout about so
long-an' a coon, dyed in pokeberry
juice, which they said was an icknuman,'
or 'man-eater.' We all knowed it was
a coon, but the clown said it was an
'icknuman.'
"The clown had hard time gittin'
the crowd to buy tickets. He led the
elephant an her calf an the coon
around outside, lecturin' about 'em, an
finally took 'em inside. Miss Lucinda
an 1 was inside, an thar was another
teller an his girl thar. But the crowd
was outside. The Cleary Grove gang
was thar, but they wasn't goin' to buy
tickets till tney knowed what kind of
show it would be, an anyway, they was
fxin' to cut holes in the tent, an see
the show without payin.'
"When the clown brought the ele-
phant back, the other feller's girl that
was thar got to feedin' the calf-elephant
candy, an suggested to Miss Lucinda
that she feed it little terbacker. She
did, an the little elephant hit her with
his snout. I don't know jist where he
struck her, but she kind of doubled up
and jumped back awful quick.
"'Seize take it's ornery pictur'p she
hollered, an she snatched one of them
big brass pins out of her dress an
jabbed it into the little elephants
snout.
"This made the elephant snort, an
he come at her agin an bunted her.
"Then Miss Lucinda was mad. She
iist jumped about four feet high an
kicked that elephant three times be-
fore she Lit, an the fight begun.
"The clown saw good chance here
to ask the crowd to buy tickets an
come in, so he jumped over the rope
that was staked around the elephants
and the coon, an yelled: 'Hurrah for
the elephant and slapped it on the
rump.
II had heard my father say that
good fighter needed a good second, so
I yelled: Well done, Miss Lucindap
an slapped her on the back. An then
they went at it agin-the girl an the
elephant. The elephant would bunt
and strike with his snoot, and Miss
Lucinda would Jump an kick, and the
clown yelled and cheered on the ele-
phant, an I yelled and cheered on Miss
Lucinda. Lord what fight that was!
And you ought to seen the Clearv